Winter Keeper
by Good Morning and Good Night
Summary: Jack and the others are transported to another universe where there is only one Guardian who protects Dreams, Memories, Fun, Hope, and Wonder. In this universe, the previous Guardians disappeared leaving someone else to take up their mantle. That Guardian is Jack who long changed his name from Jack Frost to something that would more fit his role. ON HIATUS!
1. To Find a Lonely Soul

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or realities (unless otherwise stated). I do not make money off of this.**

 **The prompt for this came from a post by yuki100o**

 **This is not betaed. If you see any mistakes, I would love for you to** ** _kindly_** **point them out.**

Immortalis steepled his fingers under his chin in one of the rare moments of free time he had once a millenia. After he was done with blissful peace, he would have to meet up with Pitch again to get the latest news that he didn't receive in his self-imposed time-out from the craziness that was this present day.

Spinning around so his stomach faced the ground just as his time ended, the winds pushed on his deceptively fragile wings. He flew past half the world, whizzing past building and toy blueprints only he could see, whizzing past memories of happiness and sorrow, whizzing past dreams that blossomed and fell and those creating those dreams. He whizzed past strong and tentative hope and joy in great and small amounts.

There! There was their meeting spot. And there was Pitch! With… five figures that looked a lot like the old guardians and his old self. But they had faded, everybody slowly forgetting about them.

"Good day Pitch. And who are these spirits?" Immortalis decided on saying, folding his wings to his back and allowing his hooded cape to appear. His mind was whirring, half of it concentrated on keeping hope, dreams, joy, memories, and wonder at stable levels. The other half was split between analyzing their body positions and what they looked like as well as forming sentences to say.

The other spirits, once grasping their weapons now spun around, one with a small gasp. All of a sudden, there wasn't enough room in his mind to keep creating sentences. It was pointless. Fortunately, the other Jack Frost could still speak.

"Wait, you're me?! In this universe?! But then, where are the others?"

Immortalis' mouth dried, his own powers pulling back full memories of the old Guardians. Very similar to the Guardians standing in front of him.

"Yes. These Guardians are from another universe. See, I told you that if you ignored The Man In the Moon he'd do something. I told you!" The other Guardians jumped a little at his friendly argument with Immortalis. Giving him a quick nod, I was relieved by him speaking. I fought back more of my mind to create words to speak with.

"I didn't ignore him, I simply didn't have enough time to speak with him." Turning back to the gobsmacked Guardians-from-another-universe, he kept going on his old train of thought. "Ah, so you are Guardians. And as answer to your question, the others faded. Nobody believes in the Easter Bunny, the Sandman, Santa, The Tooth Fairy. Fortunately for me, Jack Frost is only a name. I am Winter. But when the others faded, they gave me gifts and I became Winter and Wonder. Winter and Wonder and Hope and Memories. I now call myself Immortalis. I hope that answers your questions."

He gave a short bow with his head, and then pulled his staff across his shoulders before he lavishly made himself a simple throne and a couch for Pitch and everybody else. The others jumped before sitting down, surprised at how the cold didn't even touch them and how the chairs were actually pretty soft.

"It does! And this some expert craft-man-ship, who teach you?"

"You."

"I really don't know how to tell you this, because Manny told us that for us to go back to our universe we have to stay here for a week or so, I think. And besides that, your teeth are gorgeous!" Tooth was visible restraining herself, keeping her hands to herself.

Jack sat there for a few seconds, allowing his mind to process the sentence. In the end he stood up, the throne dissolving as he stood. "Well, if you're staying for a week, I'll show you where you'll be staying. Come along. Yes, even you, Pitch. I know you love the acoustics for shouts of rage when we play Risk."

As the other Guardians and Pitch rose, their seating dissipated into the snow it was. Sandy, having never sat down, smoothed a hand over the snowy chair and found it coated in the same kind of magic that kept his own sand-creations together. A soft, slightly nostalgia filled smile, he floated over and listened to Bunnymund snark with Immortalis while Jack talked with a kinder Pitch about this world as a general.


	2. In a Future World

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or realities (unless otherwise stated). I do not make money off of this.**

 **The prompt for this came from a post by yuki100o**

 **This is not betaed. If you see any mistakes, I would love for you to** ** _kindly_** **point them out.**

A few steps away from where they met, Immortalis turned to the Guardians. "All of you will have to travel as you can, because the Sleigh had broken down years ago. And I can't create tunnels to locations like you can, Kangaroo." Immortalis stepped closer to Bunny. "And since I can't and several people don't like it, here's a memory of where it is. As I understand, you remain at the same power level here as you were back in your universe. Because your universe is paused for the week you are here." Taking a few seconds to press his hands against Bunny's temples, creating a colorful glow from his fingers, Immortalis then stepped back and turned to North.

"Your choice here. You can travel with Wind, Pitch or Bunny. These options are also applicable to everybody else." A sweeping hand motion and half turn at his waist motioned to the guardians. Bunny, North and Tooth looked a little queasy to have the possibility of travelling like Pitch.

"I'll go by tunnel. At least then I know what is going to happen." North looked a little uneasy just saying it.

"All right, mate. Buckle up." Bunny chuckled and then thumped his foot and gave a quick salute to Immortalis while racing after the yelling guardian.

"The rest of you may fly on, Wind will guide you. I have to make a quick stop in Burgess."

"Wait, is Jamie alive? Or Sophie?"

"Unfortunately not, however the Bennett Family lives on. In the form of an underground crime boss." Jack fainted, Tooth busied herself with catching Jack and her wings flapped faster and Sandy's eyes literally bulged for a second before he manually restored them to their optimal size.

"Do they at least have sparkling teeth?" Sandy snapped his head toward Tooth and Immortalis could hear the fwap of his sand.

Immortalis considered the question with a cocked head. "I'm not sure. Haven't seen her in a while. Nonetheless, Wind will show all of you the way. And can ragdoll Jack all the way there. Have felt it myself."

Tooth looked a little reluctant to let go of Jack. Immortalis just turned around after Wind pushed them a little and took off on his spider-silk blue wings toward Burgess and his original lake.

* * *

When the Guardians appeared at the location provided to them, Jack still a little shaky on his legs, they found Immortalis already standing there. He didn't appear to have been there for too long, but his eyes were glazed over, white. As they walked up to him, Pitch appeared next to them and Immortalis blinked a few times, clearing away the blankness he had.

Immortalis smiled a close-mouthed smile, his eyes bounding back and forth over the guardian's forms, as if he didn't quite believe that they were real and here and not faded some time ago.

"My home is right over the hill." turning to the ones who flew to the location, "This is why Wind wouldn't let you fly so high."

* * *

The castle Immortalis led them to was enormous - grand, reaching spires climbed to the sky, almost rooting themselves in the clouds above. The whiteness of the main castle was emphasized by a lone stained glass window portraying the faded guardians, and the winter holding them together.

Wind pushed the giant, creaking doors open, as if their owner didn't use the home much. The pattern on the doors was gorgeous, frost spiralling in crazy lines and rules that nobody knew. And up close, it was easy to see that each piece of frost had more patches of frost connected to them, pulling the picture together.

The entrance hall was warm, but not cold enough for a winter spirit to feel uncomfortable in. The snow on top of the marble flooring was not disturbed by anyone's feet, and the pieces of excess sand that occasionally floated off Sanderson were integrated into the snow, as if it was always there.

There were few decorations in the entrance hall, except for four statues standing between pillars, leading to the grand stairs leading to the upper levels. All four of the statues held a likeness to one of the faded guardians in the universe, the moment before they faded. As many spirits know, the fading of a spirit is a sad, but beautiful moment. The moment right before they disappeared from this life, they looked (just for a second) like they were in their prime.

Sandy was at his brightest, sand roiling off of him in waves, blooming into flowers and dolphins and dinosaurs. His smile was contagious, his arms wide to welcome anyone in his arms. It was easy to see that he went out with a boom, an explosion of happiness and good dreams.

Toothiana looked spectacular, her feathers at full length, the color working into the very sculpture itself. Her wings looked more fierce and soft at the same time, and her swords were at her hips in a delicate fashion. She looked at the peak of her health, top of her training, like she had never lost anyone. Her mini-teeth were coalesced around her, ensconcing her in the image of a caring mother bear.

North looked spritely and young, his beard the length as it was when he had left the path of a bandit for a giver of toys. His smile was wide, his swords sharp. There were yeti standing behind him, and several elves with miniature siege weaponry running in front of him. He looked like a true general with a caring side, one of his arms draped over a yeti next to him, several of his flying toys dancing above his head.

Bunny was at his peak physical form, his fur groomed well and several weapons attached to his bandolier. There were googies at his feet, colored in pooka colors, his stone egg guards behind him, a few drops of paint on the tips of his ears. He looked like he did when he was a soldier in the war, when he fought against fearlings to save his brothers.

Immortalis bit his lip and started up the stairs. Pitch looked on after him, frowning.


End file.
